Geisslerleider: Blogging of Sloggin, Singing, and Flogging

So far I've been impressed with how much music I have been able to find on iTunes and amazon.com, but with this juicy morsel, I finally hit a roadblock: Geisslerleider. No, I didn't sneeze, I'm referring to a musical movement of the 13th and 14th centuries, the most famous examples of which date to the time of the Black Plague. In this wacky tradition, a procession of devout monks slog through the streets, flogging themselves and chanting inane proto-folk tunes as a vivid demonstration of their faith. I can think of few things that I'd rather listen to from the middle ages, but sadly, I haven't been able to locate any recordings.

I know that some of the songs have survived, as a resourceful monk by the name of Hugo Spechtshart transcribed note-for-note what he witnessed of these rituals and published it in 1349. The music is monophonic and is performed in a call-and-response format; that is, with one flagellant chanting the verse and his posse responding in unison with the refrain. Although it's hard to imagine any modern artist successfully capturing the sheer agony and desperation of the Geisslerleider, I would love to hear them try. If anybody stumbles on recordings of this music, please let me know.